1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cameras equipped with remote control devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to a camera allowing an optical axis of a taking lens to be rotated in response to a signal emitted from a remote control device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A camera operated by a remote control device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open Application No. 60-139998, for example. According to this application, the camera operated by a remote control device is provided on a pan head which receives an optical signal from the remote control device to calculate a gap between a direction of an optical axis of the camera and a direction of the remote control device, and which moves the optical axis by motor drive so as to fill the gap. Therefore, the optical axis of the camera automatically faces toward the remote control device. The camera is movable not only in right and left directions but also in upward and downward directions of an optical axis of an optical signal from the remote control device. Furthermore, it is also possible to output a signal indicating to an object that the camera and the remote control device have a predetermined locational relation.
A conventional remote controlled camera structured as described above enables photographing, irrespective of a relation between the optical axis of the camera and the remote control device before the photographing.
Such a camera body as having its form changing with a drive of the optical axis cannot be put in a case or the like after remote-controlled photographing is finished unless the optical axis of the camera is set to an initial position. In addition, when the camera mode is switched from remote-controlled photographing mode to normal photographing mode, the camera body placed twistedly with respect to the drive unit makes a normal photographing difficult. The above described both cases require an operation for resetting the camera body to the initial state. Thus, another remote-controlled operation in such a direction that the camera body is driven to an initial position should be performed by an user after the remote-controlled photographing is finished.
In addition, the user operating a remote control device of the above-described camera has difficulty in finding a state of the camera body being driven by the remote control device because the user is away from the camera. The user therefore might operate a remote release button for performing a release operation before the camera body fully faces the user with the remote control device, that is, an object. As a result, there are cases where no desired photographs can be obtained.